Cancer Awareness Month: Brussels Terry Fox Run continues to thrive
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
Few Canadian fundraisers have had more of an impact in the world of cancer research and resources than the Terry Fox Run.
It all began in 1980 when a young British Columbia man who, after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, endeavoured on what would become the Marathon of Hope - a cross-country solo run that would begin in St. John’s Newfoundland and end in his native British Columbia. His modest goal was to raise $1 million. He would raise his goal twice after he began running - first to $10 million and then to $24 million, notable for being one dollar for every Canadian.
Fox, who had lost his leg to cancer in the late 1970s, began the run by dipping his prosthetic leg into the Atlantic Ocean in St. John’s at a spot that has since been memorialized as Mile Zero for tourists and Fox admirers alike.
As he made his way west, Fox’s profile grew within the country and, when he entered Ontario, he began to be scooped up for various honours and appearances. In Ottawa, he met Governor General Ed Schreyer, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and he took a ceremonial kick-off at a Canadian Football League (CFL) game. In Toronto, Fox met hockey legends Darryl Sittler and Bobby Orr and threw out the first pitch of a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the then-Cleveland Indians.
On Sept. 1, just outside of Thunder Bay, the 22-year-old Fox was forced to halt the Marathon of Hope as he endured coughing fits and chest pains. His cancer had returned and spread to his lungs. At the time, he had raised $1.7 million and refused offers from others who volunteered to continue the marathon on his behalf.
As Fox was in hospital, CTV organized a nationwide telethon to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society in support of Fox’s efforts. The event itself raised $10.5 million, but, by the following April, more than $23 million had been raised.
Fox died on June 28, 1981. Just before his death, numerous honours were bestowed on him, such as the Order of Canada, the Order of the Dogwood in British Columbia, the Lou Marsh Award and Canada’s Newsmakers of the Year for 1980.
Isadore Sharp, the founder of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, contacted Fox in hospital in 1981, asking about starting a run in Fox’s name. Since that first year, the Terry Fox Run has raised over $750 million for the Terry Fox Foundation, a number that continues to grow every year.
It continues today, being run throughout hundreds of communities across Canada and nearly 20 other countries every September. Several Terry Fox Runs can be found throughout Huron County. This year, the Brussels Terry Fox Run will hit the road for the 31st time. Just in Brussels, over $180,000 has been raised for the foundation in the run’s 30-year history and 2023 was one of its best years ever, according to organizer and Run Chair Gord Mitchell of the Brussels Lions Club.
Two families, the Bowles and Earl families, brought in large contingents of members, friends and supporters to the run in 2023, making it one of the most successful in its 30-year history. The run’s 140 participants raised $8,250 and the year’s online fundraising topped $1,300.
Most years, the fundraising total has floated within the $6,000 to $8,000 range. And while, more often than not, under 100 participants have taken part, it is not unheard of for the run to top the 100-runner mark, with it happening nearly 10 times since the 1990s.
Mitchell and the Lions Club took the reins of the run about eight or 10 years ago. This came after the Brussels Optimist Club saved it from folding several years before that.
Doug McArter, a long-time member of the Optimist Club, said that he remembers getting involved in the run in about 2004. A grassroots, citizen-led initiative had founded the run all those years earlier and it was in danger of folding. It was then that the Optimists stepped in and took it over.
Then, the Optimists handed the baton to the Lions. However, the Optimists still remain involved in some capacity, lending their park and clubhouse to the Lions as the headquarters and starting point for the run and supplying club members to collect money for the Terry Fox Foundation by way of a boot drive throughout the village on the day of the run.
McArter said he had been a long-time participant in the event, so it was with that in mind that he and the Optimists stepped in to ensure that it would continue in Brussels. He says his participation comes from a deep admiration for Fox and his place in Canadian history. In addition, he said it’s hard to not know someone who has been touched by cancer in their lives, so, as the work continues to find a cure, he and the others involved wanted to do anything they could to help.
Mitchell agrees. He became the chair of the run two years ago and remains in the position. His mother, Phyllis, a pillar of the Brussels and Walton communities, died of brain cancer in 2014, so it’s that personal connection, in addition to a great admiration for Fox as well, that has kept him involved with the run.
Furthermore, he said the public support within the community has always been tremendous for the run.
It remains one of the community’s most long-standing charitable events as organizers approach the goal of $200,000 raised to battle a disease that has affected us all.
Terry Fox Runs across the country, including in Brussels, Ontario for the 31st time, will go ahead on Sunday, Sept. 15 this year.
For more information, to find a run or to sign up, visit terryfox.org.